Mobile electronic commerce, or m-commerce as it is otherwise known, relates to the buying and selling of products and services between consumers and merchants over wireless networks or other like transactional exchanges of information over similar telecommunication networks. The convenience of shopping over wireless telecommunication networks has sparked considerable interest in m-commerce on behalf of both consumers and merchants. M-commerce sales, or like transactions, have been typically carried out using standard credit cards such as Visa®, MasterCard®, Discover®, American Express®, or the like, or standard debit cards, i.e., check cards or automated teller machine (ATM) cards which directly access funds from an associated deposit account or other bank account, and more recently, alternative payment methods, such as PayPal®, Google Checkout®, eBillMe, Bill Me Later, NACHA and others.
Shopping and payment using these standard cards and alternative payment methods, however, in connection with m-commerce presents certain difficulties, particularly for merchants, including difficulties concerning the integration of product catalogs, pricing, payment acceptance and payment receipt over this new distribution channel, as well as difficulties regarding the authentication or positive identification of the proper holder of the payment account used if such a transaction were easily able to be carried out. For example, merchants often outsource development and maintenance of their Internet web-stores, including shopping cart, payment gateway and authentication service integration, to third parties, as much of the technical know-how to accomplish such an endeavor is far beyond the average merchant. The addition of integrating an additional emerging transaction channel, such as m-commerce is generally a prohibitive task for many merchants, both technically and financially. As well, as with Internet-based e-commerce, maintaining consumer confidence in security with respect to m-commerce has become difficult with increased reports of fraud. The resulting apprehension is also fueled by consumer uncertainty of the reputation or integrity of a merchant with whom the consumer is dealing. Questionable security of the consumer's card information or other personal information typically submitted along with a traditional e-commerce and/or m-commerce transaction (e.g., address, card number, phone number, etc.) serves to increase apprehension even more. Additionally, cardholders, merchants and financial institutions are all concerned about safeguarding against fraudulent or otherwise unauthorized transactions. These factors may also influence a merchant's decision whether to pursue delving into the m-commerce channel.
Accordingly, a new and improved apparatus and/or method for enabling merchants to create, manage and deliver product content, as well as to accept m-commerce transactions initiated via a wireless mobile device is disclosed that overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.